Owning a small business in Atlantic Canada has always meant wearing every hat. Leader, HR, bookkeeper, customer service, sometimes even janitor. That part has never changed. What has changed is the weight of uncertainty.

Today it feels less like steady challenge and more like chaos. Disruption. And the pressures feeding it are real: rising costs, housing shortages, labour shortages. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, nearly three-quarters of small businesses in Atlantic Canada say they’re struggling to find or keep workers, and most say rising costs are squeezing their margins harder than ever.

If that feels familiar, you’re not alone. And here’s the important part: you already know more about leading through chaos than you think.

The dual demand of small-business leadership

Small-business owners have always juggled competing roles. But when disruption accelerates, the job becomes even more complex. You’re expected to manage your own stress and uncertainty while also showing up steady for your team. That dual demand can feel heavy. It can feel isolating.

But leading through chaos isn’t about tightening your grip. It’s about loosening it, making space for others to lead alongside you, and trusting that you don’t have to carry it all alone. That’s the real work of leadership today: managing yourself through uncertainty while helping others find their footing beside you.

Small moves that create ripples

When the future feels uncertain, it’s tempting to think the answer must be sweeping or dramatic. In reality, it’s the small moves that carry you through. Checking in with staff. Asking for input. Adjusting one process to save a few minutes or reduce friction.

None of those steps are bold or flashy. But they create ripples that build trust, calm nerves, and strengthen your business in ways that matter most. Small moves, repeated consistently, are what help you and your team thrive in disruption.

Connection over isolation

Running a small business can feel lonely. You’re inside your own four walls, carrying responsibility for your family and your employees’ families.

When chaos hits, the instinct is often to retreat further. To hold everything in. But isolation only magnifies the pressure. Connection lightens it.

Your network of other owners, advisors, and even customers can be a lifeline. They bring perspective. They remind you that you’re not alone. They spark ideas you might not find on your own.

Collaboration doesn’t just lighten the load. It multiplies the possibilities.

Facing regional realities

Small-business owners here aren’t imagining the strain. Costs are climbing. Labour is scarce. Housing is tight. These conditions create disruption that feels constant and exhausting.

Across Atlantic Canada, business confidence has dipped this year as owners brace for another period of slow growth and high costs. Most don’t expect relief soon, making connection, creativity, and collaboration even more critical.

You can’t solve all of it. But you can decide how you respond. You can lean into resilience. You can open the door for others to help carry the weight. You can focus on the moves within your control.

These behaviours aren’t new. They’re the same instincts that brought you this far. The difference now is that they matter even more.

The way forward

Leading through chaos doesn’t mean predicting the future. It means grounding yourself in what you already know. That leadership isn’t about having every answer. That letting others step in makes your business stronger. That small moves create ripples which carry everyone forward.

You’ve been practicing these behaviours all along: every tough call, every late night, every time you kept going when it felt impossible. The path ahead isn’t about grasping tighter. It’s about loosening your grip, trusting your network, and leaning on the strength of the ripples you create.

Because even in chaos, you know more about leading than you think.

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Nicole Paquet is a transformation leader, facilitator, and author of Thriving Through Change: A Guide for Catalytic Leaders. She helps leaders and teams find clarity and confidence through disruption. She lives in Uptown Saint John, N.B. with her family.

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